


Reading Into Things

by GrievousCollection



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (yoda voice) truly wonderful the mind of a child is, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Changing Relationships, F/M, Fix-It, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Unhealthy Relationships, perceived one-sided sexual interest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23999224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrievousCollection/pseuds/GrievousCollection
Summary: When Ahsoka first meets the Supreme Chancellor, she gets a sense of his less than wholesome interest in her Master. Her intuition will go a long way.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Sheev Palpatine/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 156
Kudos: 941





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> During my pre-season 7 Clone Wars rewatch, I got to Season 2 Episode 2 and asked myself, what if Ahsoka had _thoughts_ on the Palpatine/Anakin interaction? And so, it became an entire canon divergence I wrote to cope with the season 7 pain. Will update Mondays and Fridays.

Truth be told, Ahsoka would have much rather been helping Masters Kenobi and Windu hunt down the stolen holocron. Cad Bane was a slippery piece of poodoo and she didn’t trust him for a minute, no matter how… broken he’d been by the triple mind trick the Jedi had attempted on him.

Instead, she was reporting their progress to the Chancellor. Or rather, following Anakin as he reported their progress to the Chancellor.

“Ah, Anakin.” The older man inclined his head in greeting. “It is good to see you.”

Ahsoka’s Master nodded in kind. “Your Excellency.”

Only then did Palpatine look down, finally acknowledging that there was someone other than himself and Anakin in the room.

Ahsoka smiled nervously at him.

His eyes narrowed. She got the distinct feeling that her presence was unwelcome, a feeling that was only confirmed moments later. “Excuse us, child,” he said, stepping between them to put an arm around Anakin’s shoulders and lead him into his office.

And as if all of that weren’t enough, Anakin  _ winked _ over his shoulder at her before the door slammed shut.

\---

Ahsoka was used to being left out of things. She was only a fourteen-year-old Padawan, after all, and even with all the military leadership experience she’d gained in the last few months, the admirals still gave her sideways glances or even outright ignored her when older Jedi were present. So the Chancellor brushing her aside was nothing out of the ordinary.

Still, none of the Republic admirals were quite so…  _ intimate _ , she supposed, with her Master. Was that the right word? She thought about that arm around the younger man’s shoulders, the “what the Council doesn’t know won’t hurt them” wink in response. Yes,  _ intimate _ was the only word she could really use to describe that encounter.

She shuddered at the thought. Other Padawans would sometimes speculate on the Knights’ and Masters’ romantic entanglements, but few ever wanted to imagine their own Master being intimate, and Ahsoka was inclined to feel the same way. Anakin was practically her brother. Thinking too long about him being intimate didn’t sit right with her, especially if said intimacy was taking place in the Chancellor’s office.

_ You’re reading too much into things, _ she thought to herself in an internal voice that sounded a lot like Anakin’s. And maybe she was. But before she could put the thought entirely out of her mind, she would need to consult with someone who knew her Master better than she did. Someone who’d known him longer and could better guess at the implications of what she’d seen.

Someone like Master Kenobi.

\---

“You seem troubled, Ahsoka,” he said once they were relatively alone. “Is there something on your mind?”

That was one way to say it. “Master Kenobi,” she began, “how do I ask this… Do you think Anakin is seeing anyone?”

Obi-Wan gave his beard a contemplative stroke, sinking onto a nearby bench. “I… have gotten that impression,” he eventually said. “I assume you have as well?”

So she wasn’t imagining things. “On our most recent visit to the Senate building, no less.”

The bearded Master nodded. It seemed that the mention of the Senate building was of no surprise to him. “I trust that he wasn’t terribly distracted from his report to the Chancellor?”

Ahsoka laughed nervously. “I’m sure the report went just fine.” Under her breath, she added, “without me.”

“Well, that’s very good, then,” said Obi-Wan. Seeing Ahsoka’s expression, he frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s just…” She took a deep breath. “When we went to make the report, the Chancellor acted like I wasn’t even there. He only talked to me to tell me to leave - to leave him and Anakin alone. I know I’m just a Padawan and nobody ever listens to me, but this…” She broke off, remembering the look Palpatine had given her. It was a look she had only ever seen on one of her Master’s holodramas, shot at the protagonist by her rival over the shoulder of a mutual love interest.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard, furrowing his brow in contemplation. “Anakin and the Chancellor have been friends for a long time, ever since he was a boy. I can understand them wanting some time alone, but why…” He sighed, shaking his head.

These answers only worried her more. She might as well just ask in plain terms. “Master Kenobi, you don’t think Anakin is seeing the Chancellor, do you?”

\---

Of all the directions that conversation could have gone, this was the last thing he’d expected.

When Ahsoka had mentioned the Senate building, Obi-Wan had a distinct mental image: Anakin making a detour on the way either to or from the Chancellor’s office, Padmé reaching out from behind a door and leading him into the corner of her office, a moment between a senator and a Jedi that could only be stolen in the midst of a galactic war. Not… what Ahsoka seemed to be implying.

_ This _ was a mental image he really could have done without.

After taking a moment to absorb the bad feeling Ahsoka’s words had given him, he stammered out a response- “I don’t think so and I certainly hope not”- and as soon as he could, he found a peaceful area in the Temple garden to think over what the Padawan had told him.

_ He only talked to me to tell me to leave - to leave him and Anakin alone. You don’t think Anakin is seeing the Chancellor, do you? _

The logical part of Obi-Wan’s brain told him it was just the fourteen-year-old’s overactive imagination. But a much stronger part was looking back over the last eleven years, at every summons to the Chancellor’s office his then-Padawan had gleefully accepted, and asking the same question, each time tinged with more concern.  _ You don’t think Anakin is seeing the Chancellor, do you? _

It wouldn’t do to overthink, Obi-Wan decided, choosing instead to focus on his breathing. In… hold… and out. In… hold… and out.

_ “I’m told that you grew up on Tatooine,” said the newly elected Chancellor. (Anything to relate to the boy.) “I visited there, many years ago.” _

_ A flare of tension, just barely perceptible in the Force around him. “I did, sir, but I’m not supposed to talk about that.” Anakin glanced up at his Master, searching for guidance. _

_ “And why is that?” (Curiosity, or means to probe at him?) _

_ “My mother-” _

_ “Anakin,” Obi-Wan reprimanded. _

_ Palpatine reclined slightly, the faintest touch of a smile on his lips. “I apologize if I’ve stirred something between you.” (He sounded anything but apologetic.) _

In… hold… and out. In… hold… and out.

_ “And you, young Skywalker. We will watch your career with great interest.” _

_ You don’t think Anakin is seeing the Chancellor, do you? _

After another minute or so, he gave up on meditation. This particular worry wasn’t one he could simply release into the Force. Only one thing was going to put this question out of his mind.

\---

Anakin joined him in the cafeteria, sitting across from him with a mug of caf. “You wanted to see me, Master?”

“Yes.” Obi-Wan took a sip of tea, then lowered his mug onto the table. “I know you and the Chancellor have been friends for a long time, and I understand that you enjoy his company. That said…” He swallowed tightly before asking the next question. “Is there anything about your relationship with him I should be worried about?”

A confused look flickered across his former Padawan’s face, eventually settling on an uneasy grimace. “No,” he said with the barest edge of uncertainty.

“I hope you’re right,” said Obi-Wan, lowering his mental shields just enough to let the sincerity of his words be felt. “Ahsoka told me something earlier that would be… worrying, if it were true.”

Anakin let out an uneasy chuckle. “You’re not jealous of my friendship with the Chancellor, are you?”

If it were only that simple of a matter. “No,” he stressed, “but someone else might be. Someone who feels underappreciated when she is left out of mission reports.”

“It’s not like that,” Anakin said hastily. “I care for Ahsoka. If I leave her out of stuff sometimes, it’s for her own safety.”

“Then why was she left out of something as low-stakes as a mission report?”

Anakin looked down, avoiding eye contact. “I don’t know,” he muttered. “It wasn’t my decision.”

Obi-Wan considered for a moment. How did he want to say this… “Ahsoka has some ideas as to why.”

“...Okay,” Anakin said after a moment. “Why does she think she was left out?”

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. “To be clear, I don’t believe this for even a minute, but…” Now or never. “She thinks it might be because you and the Chancellor have an… intimate relationship.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin processes Ahsoka's suspicion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which I scour seasons 2-4 for relevant scenes.

The first thing Anakin did was burst out in confused laughter. “An intimate relationship? Surely you’re joking.”

“I wish I were,” his former Master said in a sobering tone. “But it seems as if that was the impression your Padawan got from seeing you with him.”

Clearly, they had been spending too much of their downtime watching dramas. “I don’t know where she gets her impressions,” Anakin said, “but rest assured, the most intimate I ever get with the Chancellor is…” He hesitated. Was it physical contact that had roused Ahsoka’s suspicions? Because the one-armed embrace she had witnessed was about as far as that went… mostly. He wasn’t sure if he’d been imagining the brush of fingers against his rear.

Across the table from him, Obi-Wan froze mid-sip of his tea.

“...telling personal secrets,” he finally admitted. Kark, that  _ was _ intimate. Just maybe in a different way.

Obi-Wan lifted the mug of tea, letting it obscure his face as he drank. When he finally lowered it, his face was carefully steeled to mask emotion, as it often was during tense negotiations. “And I trust that this… secret-telling is reciprocal?”

Anakin had to think for a moment. He told Chancellor Palpatine everything, but what secrets had he told in return? “...No,” he admitted. “I don’t think Palpatine has ever told me an actual secret.” But he did have a way of making commonly known things feel like secrets.

“That sounds terribly one-sided, don’t you think?” said Obi-Wan, quirking an eyebrow.

Anakin tried not to think about what else might be one-sided. He really, really hoped he’d been imagining that touch.

It was right around then that Obi-Wan’s comlink beeped to signal an imminent Council meeting and he got up to leave.

Alone at the table, Anakin noticed that his untouched caf had gotten cold.

\---

“Are we still having that movie night you promised?” Ahsoka asked by way of a greeting. At least nothing about  _ their _ friendship was one-sided. Their enjoyment of holodramas, for one thing, was entirely mutual.

“Of course,” he said as they entered his quarters. “We’re almost done with this season, and besides, all of this bangcorn isn’t going to eat itself.” He set the bowl down between them and dimmed the lights before turning on the holoprojector.

Anakin would normally absorb himself in the drama, but as the love triangle storyline played out, he found that there were other things on his mind.

_ She thinks it might be because you and the Chancellor have an… intimate relationship. _ The familiar arm around his shoulders, almost cutting his Padawan out of view. A view of one of Coruscant’s brilliant sunsets, long shadows cast by every spire in the broad cityscape. The ghost of a touch - he hoped - on his backside.  _ An intimate relationship. _ Every passing lunch hour and afternoon excursion, secret frustrations whispered where no Jedi Master would hear. Hidden rages, passions, un-Jedi-like thoughts and actions…

“Master?”

He blinked twice. Ahsoka was leaning over the bangcorn bowl and eyeing him with concern. Dimly, he realized that half a kernel was hanging out of his mouth.

“Are you okay? You’re normally a lot more invested in this stuff.”

The holovid was paused. Anakin had lost track of what exactly was happening, but judging by the freeze-image, the tension between the protagonist and her rival had come to a head.

“I’m not… sleeping with the Chancellor,” he muttered.

Ahsoka’s eyebrow markings shot up. “That’s… an odd thing to bring up in the middle of a season finale.”

“I talked to Obi-Wan earlier,” he explained. “He told me your… thoughts, about me and the Chancellor, and I want you to know that no matter how-” he took a sharp breath- “close we are, as friends, I’m not sleeping with him.”

Ahsoka’s eyebrow markings knitted together. “So you  _ are _ close friends,” she said.

Didn’t Obi-Wan say she might be jealous? “It’s nothing to be jealous of,” he quickly assured her. “We’ve just known each other for a long time. For a long time, he was my only friend who wasn’t a Jedi, who I could tell secrets to if I didn’t want a lecture on how un-Jedi-like I was.”

“And details of your past you won’t even share with me?”

She was never going to let that go, was she. “Come on, let’s finish this episode, and then I think it’s time for bed.”

\---

Since that exchange, Anakin had done his best not to think about what Ahsoka’s suspicion meant. She was just jealous, he told himself. Besides, she was only a child. What did a fourteen-year-old child know about adult relationships?

Still, despite his efforts to forget what Ahsoka had said, his mind returned to various interactions he’d had with Palpatine over the years. Could it be that the Chancellor was actually interested in him?

The question weighed on his mind even as they debated the matter of the highly armored Zillo Beast, recovered from Malastare and kept in a lab environment on Coruscant.

“Anakin,” said the Chancellor, putting a hand on his shoulder, “is it not worth the life of one savage beast to give our brave troops the advantage they need to win this war?” As he spoke, his hand lowered, ghosting over the middle of the younger man’s back.

There it was again. Another ghost of a touch he hoped he was imagining. He cleared his throat nervously and clasped his hands behind his back before stepping away. “My role is not to set policy, Chancellor. But I do see both points of view. I’m certain a reasonable solution will present itself.”

Palpatine smiled at him. “Master Kenobi has taught you well.”

Was it Anakin’s imagination, or was there something revealing  _ interest _ about that smile?

\---

Ahsoka, for her part, never fully let her suspicion go.

If she was being honest, decoding her Masters’ love lives had become a lot more interesting in the last year or so. She still wasn’t completely sure what to make of them. For Obi-Wan, flirting was its own form of combat, and he rarely locked sabers with an opponent or sparring partner without engaging in flirtatious banter. As for Anakin, aside from aforementioned banter, Ahsoka was ninety-nine percent certain that his “old married couple” arguments with Senator Amidala were indicative of exactly that kind of relationship between them.

The remaining one percent was founded in an old suspicion. An inkling that her Master might be enjoying more than just career benefits from his close relationship with the Chancellor.

“You know,” said Anakin to the thankless Captain Tarkin, “it’s not wise to argue with Master Piell. It’s certainly not a good career move.”

“General Skywalker,” Tarkin said in the most annoying possible tone, “I stand by my principles no matter what.” He turned his head to face Anakin directly as they continued walking. “Besides, I needn’t worry about my career. I’ve fallen into favor with the Chancellor.”

Artoo powered up his rockets to levitate over a step. Ahsoka followed behind, keeping a careful eye on the ungrateful captain who was arguing with her Master.

“He shall support me.”

“Oh?” countered Anakin. “I happen to know the Chancellor quite well myself.”

Logically speaking, she knew he didn’t mean anything by it. They had established that about a year ago. Still, she wondered, how well was  _ quite well _ ?

“Oh?” said Tarkin, his voice heavy with interest. “Really?”

Anakin looked at him directly. “ _ Really. _ ”

“Let’s keep moving,” Obi-Wan cut in, “if we’re not at the rendezvous at the exact time, we’ll miss our window.”

Ahsoka did not want to know how well Anakin  _ knew _ the Chancellor, and she was sure Obi-Wan didn’t either. At least, if that was what he meant.

\---

_ That wasn’t what I meant, _ Anakin thought when he realized how his words might have sounded. The last thing he needed right now was another round of Obi-Wan and Ahsoka thinking he was getting intimate with Palpatine. It was bad enough grappling with the implications of such interest himself.

Worse still was hearing what a bloodbath Umbara had turned out to be in his absence. By Rex’s account, Krell had intentionally gotten an obscene number of men killed.

“Lucky you weren’t there, eh, General?” Jesse joked, his smile faltering. Anakin half-expected Hardcase to burst in with a joke about him missing all the fun, but Hardcase was one of the many who had died under Krell’s command.

Anakin swallowed hard. “I should have been there,” he said.

He tried not to think about the circumstances under which he had been recalled. Palpatine was a good and trustworthy man. There was no way he actually wanted the best men in Anakin’s unit killed… was there?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan fakes his own death to foil a kidnapping of the Chancellor, straining his relationship with Anakin. Will they recover?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **The "implied/referenced rape/non-con" tag is for this chapter.** Anakin has dreams about his time on Zygerria, including time spent with Queen Miraj. I'm including a more detailed chapter summary in the end notes in case anyone would prefer to skip this one.

Anakin didn’t say a word after they returned from Naboo. How could he? The Council had lied to him.  _ Obi-Wan _ had lied to him. They’d let him believe his best friend was dead - had let him  _ attack _ him! And for what? So that Count Dooku could listen in on their plans to protect the Chancellor and nearly kidnap him? They had let Anakin spend weeks, maybe longer, haunted by the face of Rako Hardeen, only for the man whose death he sought to avenge, his best friend, his partner, the other half of The Team, to be the very man whose sensitive areas he had kneed in his quest to avenge a murder that never actually happened. A murder that, in his attempt at vengeance, he might have committed  _ himself _ ...

No amount of pounding on the door to his room could convince him to open up. He sat on the bed and stared daggers at the wall as he sank into an exhausted stupor.  _ At least I’ll know who it is this time, _ he thought bitterly as he imagined the tattooed face of the “bounty hunter” that would surely continue haunting his dreams.

Surprisingly enough, however, the face that visited him wasn’t that of Rako Hardeen.

It was Miraj Scintel. The late slaver queen of Zygerria and probably his worst regret.

“With you willingly beside me,” she greeted him, pushing him down onto the bed and running a hand across his bare chest, “there is nothing we could not accomplish.”

It was all he could do to bite back a snarl. “We are nothing,” he reminded her once again as he sat back, unable to resist as she straddled his waist. “You have all the power.” The press of her partially bare body against his sent a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.

“Oh, Skywalker,” Miraj tittered, “you are all the security I will ever need.” She waved her hand dramatically before pushing Anakin back onto the bed, her clawed fingers digging into his chest.

He sighed, defeated. “As long as I live,” he declared, injecting the words with all the emotion he could muster, “no harm will ever come to you, Your Majesty.”

She hummed, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Well, here’s to your long and prosperous life, Anakin,” came a murmur in a more familiar accent. “One shudders to think where the galaxy would be without the Jedi.”

Wait a minute… since when did her voice sound like that?

He looked up at the figure on top of him, which was no longer Miraj, but none other than a heavily robed Sheev Palpatine.

Why wasn’t he surprised?

\---

Ahsoka thought there would be a lot more yelling. Instead, there was a chilling silence between her Masters, colder than the ice caves of Ilum.

She was wary of bringing it up with Anakin, but it had been two weeks already. She was sick of the ice-cold feeling from their bond whenever they passed Master Obi-Wan in the temple hallways, of Anakin glaring firmly at the floor as he steered them away, of pretending she didn’t see Obi-Wan gaze over his shoulder at him, his beardless face doing nothing to downplay the sadness in his eyes.

They were training together when she brought it up. “When are you going to talk to him?”

Anakin parried her strike. “Why should I?”

Ahsoka sighed, bringing her saber down. “Look,” she began. “I was just as mad about the deception as you were. Master Obi-Wan was… is, important to me, and losing him felt like-”  _ like how it would feel to lose you. _

“I know,” Anakin said firmly, switching off his saber. Ahsoka followed suit, and they both sat down to continue the conversation. “I lost my mother not too long ago. And I can’t-” He took a deep breath, then scrubbed his face with one hand. “I could have  _ killed _ him.”

His shields fully lowered, allowing the full tangle of emotions to manifest in their bond: anger, sadness, indignation, guilt, and an overwhelming, all-encompassing love that could only come from him. Ahsoka reached out and gave the back of his hand a squeeze.

Within the week, while not quite back to being the inseparable Team they once were, Anakin and Obi-Wan could at least attend mission briefings together without any iciness.

\---

_ Swing that whip! Prove you are a slaver! _

For maybe the fiftieth time since Obi-Wan’s deception, Anakin was haunted by the memory of Miraj Scintel, echoes of another mission compromised by personal feelings. It had been his refusal to swing that whip, his refusal to hurt Obi-Wan, that had sent everything downhill. He had chosen his friends over the mission, and that had gotten him in the queen’s bed.

Should he have acted differently? Played along as a slaver “for the mission’s sake”? His heart clenched to think of Obi-Wan bearing the scars he had always hated to see on his mother, of Ahsoka in that cage. And yet, a darker part of his mind whispered:  _ Perhaps their genuine reactions would help to sell the betrayal. _

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth as soon as it crossed his mind. What kind of person would he be to hurt the ones he loved like that? What kind of Master, what kind of friend?

And yet, he knew that even if he had swallowed that feeling and whipped Obi-Wan to keep up appearances, he would be asking himself the same question.

\---

It was a question Obi-Wan asked himself too frequently to count.

_ What kind of person am I to do this? _ he questioned in every battle and every strategy meeting.  _ What kind of Jedi am I? _ And, more worryingly,  _ what kind of Jedi are we? _ They were keepers of the peace. That was what he had grown up with, the truth he had always known. Now, with the Republic at war, the peaceful way of the Jedi had bent almost unrecognizably out of shape as they led the war effort in service of the Senate. More and more, they were forced to compromise their morals in the hopes that the ends would justify the means.

Faking his death was supposed to be another of those times. It hadn’t been. And if he was being honest, he didn’t blame Anakin for losing trust in him.

So it was to his great surprise when this time, during another of their awkward silences, it was Anakin who opened the conversation.

“How do you do it?” he asked.

Obi-Wan turned his head to face him. “Do what, exactly?”

“You hate this war,” Anakin stated. “How do you keep fighting? How do you-” he broke off, searching for the right words. “How do you make decisions you know you’re going to regret, decisions with no good consequences no matter which way you slice them? How do you live with yourself afterward?”

Obi-Wan scratched uncomfortably at the short beard that was finally growing back. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “I can only hope that one day, when this war is over, it will all have been worth it.”

Anakin looked down, his brow furrowed. A dull feeling of hopelessness could be felt in the bond between them.

Obi-Wan studied the other man’s face. “I’m deeply sorry for not telling-”

“Don’t.” Anakin looked up, steely resolve warring with affection in his eyes. “I don’t want to hear about how it was ‘all for the mission’ again. You know how it feels to lose someone like that.”

Hands clasped, promises whispered between dying breaths. He knew all too well. “I do. And it wasn’t right of me to put you through that.” He met Anakin’s gaze directly, gently clasping his flesh hand in both of his. “I am truly sorry, Anakin. It won’t happen again.”

Anakin pulled him into a tight hug, releasing the tense emotions through his grip on Obi-Wan’s outer robe. Obi-Wan buried his face in the taller man’s shoulder. He’d missed the affection Anakin was so fond of giving, the touches and shoulder bumps that said more than words ever could. It wasn’t often that they embraced like this, but when they did, it was more often than not the result of one of them worrying extensively for the other’s life. It said  _ thank the stars you’re alive _ and  _ don’t worry me like that again _ and  _ I would lay down my life for you _ . And Obi-Wan knew then, that if it were ever again a choice between Anakin and the mission, he would choose Anakin every time.

Would things ever be the same again between them? Maybe not. But this, at least, was a step in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More detailed chapter summary: While stewing over Obi-Wan having faked his death without telling him, Anakin has a dream about his time with Miraj, but Miraj's dialog gradually turns into the things Palpatine said to him during the attempted kidnapping. She then transforms into him, and Anakin is surprised by how not surprised he is.  
> Ahsoka is tired of the iciness between Anakin and Obi-Wan, and over a sparring session with Anakin, urges him to reconcile. They have a moment.  
> Anakin and Obi-Wan reflect independently on their role in the war and on how willing they are to prioritize the mission over those close to them. Prioritizing the mission isn't always right or worth it, they decide. After talking briefly, they hug it out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time after Ahsoka's departure from the Jedi Order, an ARC trooper under Anakin's command makes an unsettling discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If everything up to this chapter was dubiously canon compliant, this is where the canon officially diverges.

“I understand,” Anakin told Ahsoka. “More than you realize, I understand wanting to walk away from the Order.”

She gave him a long look before turning away. “I know.”

He stared after her as she descended the Temple steps, disappearing into the sunset.

_ What does she know? _ he later asked himself. There was no way she could possibly know the truth of his thoughts on leaving the Order. Like the less pleasant details of his past, it wasn’t something they had ever talked about. And unlike his past, it wasn’t something he talked about with anyone. Not Obi-Wan, not Padmé, not even Palpatine.

She had questioned the Code’s take on attachments, much as he had, and he had done his best to pass on his understanding of it. Was that it, then? Had she sensed, somewhere between the words he spoke but only semi-believed, his own proclivity for attachment?

He turned over a stack of discs, finding one he and Ahsoka had watched together. He didn’t remember how the season finale went. Maybe if he watched it now, paying attention to the plot, it would drown out the feelings of loneliness and betrayal when he thought of what the Council and the law courts had put his Padawan through.

Ten minutes of romantic rivals getting ready for an epic throwdown later, Anakin’s mind was wandering.  _ I know, _ Ahsoka had said. She knew he wasn’t as devout as he could be, that he’d had thoughts of leaving, even though he’d never brought it up.

_ She thinks it might be because you and the Chancellor have an… intimate relationship. _

Could it still be true? Even now, over a year and a half later, could Ahsoka still think he and Palpatine were sleeping together? He’d done what he could to dispel the thought, but he knew such thoughts didn’t go away easily. He remembered all too well his thoughts on Rush Clovis and Duchess Satine.

_ Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order. _ That was what Obi-Wan had said of his past relationship with the late Duchess. Did Ahsoka think he and Palpatine were like that? That Anakin harbored feelings for him? That he would, if Palpatine asked, leave the Order for him?

Before he could finish that chilling thought, the door to the room opened, and soon Obi-Wan joined him on the couch. No words were needed between them. They continued watching the drama, Anakin leaning his head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

_ This has been quite a journey for our Padawan. _ Obi-Wan had said that once. And it was true, wasn’t it? He had been just as involved in Ahsoka’s training as Anakin had been, even if he wasn’t, strictly speaking, her Master. So often, it had been the three of them…

As he drifted off, Anakin thought that maybe some Council members were okay after all.

\---

“All security and clone forces on Coruscant have been ordered to join the manhunt,” Master Windu reported, freeze-image on the holotable still displaying Fives’s assassination attempt. “The Chancellor has been moved to his Senate quarters and the perimeter has been secured. However, Jedi involvement has not been requested.”

_ No Jedi involvement? _ Anakin wondered. “That’s a little… odd, isn’t it?”

_ Anakin is all the security I will ever need. _

“Mmm,” agreed Yoda’s hologram across the table. “Discover the truth, we must.”

Mace agreed. “If there is a plot involving the clones, we must get to the bottom of it. We will investigate quietly undercover. We must make sure this clone is not killed.”

“I’ll handle this investigation,” said Anakin. “Fives was part of the 501st. If Rex and I find him, he’ll trust us.”

\---

“Fives,” said Rex in a conciliatory tone, “we are listening to you. We only want to help.”

Fives wasn’t convinced. “How do I know you’re not tricking me?” he asked. “How do I know it won’t be a trap? The Chancellor would try to kill me! I promise you that!”

Anakin blinked in confusion. He didn’t know what to say. “The… Chancellor?” He remembered what happened during the Umbara campaign. There was no way Palpatine actually wanted his best troops dead, was there?

Fives continued to pace in front of the ray shield, ranting. “He’s in on it!” the ARC trooper insisted. “I don’t know to what extent, but I know he orchestrated much of this. He told me in the medical bay!”

“He… told you?” Anakin asked incredulously. “What did he tell you?”

Before Fives could answer, Anakin felt a tremor in the Force.  _ Hostiles approaching. _ “Put the ray shield down!” he ordered. “Someone’s coming!”

Behind Fives, the empty warehouse swarmed with Coruscant Guard troopers in red and white armor. “Stand down!” said one as they surrounded Fives, who reached for one of the blasters Rex had left on a nearby crate. Oh no.

As he picked up the blaster, Fives paused. Worry rose in Anakin’s gut. He wasn’t going to try to fight off all of those troopers on his own, was he?

He looked back at the men trapped behind the ray shield as he raised the pistol.

And shot upward, putting down the shield.

Anakin felt before he saw Commander Fox’s finger on the trigger.  _ We must make sure this clone is not killed. _ “No!” he yelled, stepping forward and calling his lightsaber to his hand in one motion.

Another step, and he was in front of Fives, his lightsaber was on, and a blaster bolt left a sizzling hole in Fox’s chest.

The troopers lowered their weapons then, removing their helmets and gathering around their fallen leader. Some remained with their blasters pointed at Fives, but seeing Anakin defending him, they looked down, lowering their weapons and joining their comrades.

Anakin stood in place, stunned.  _ What have I done? _

Surprising everyone, Rex recovered first. “He tried to kill a brother,” he said, re-holstering his other pistol. “Come on, General, let’s go. Fives, come on.”

Rex placed a comforting arm around his brother’s shoulders as they left the warehouse, Anakin at their flank in case any of the troopers decided to start shooting at them.

“Where are we going?” Fives asked nervously once they were outside.

“The Jedi temple,” Anakin muttered. “The Council will want to hear your side of the story.”

\---

“It all started on Ringo Vinda,” Fives began. “Tup was acting off, he kept saying ‘good soldiers follow orders…’”

Rex squeezed his hand. “It’s okay, brother.”

Fives took a deep breath before continuing. “And then he killed General Tiplar. We thought it was a virus that made him do it, but the scans weren’t picking up anything. The Kaminoans wanted to…” He swallowed. “They wanted to kill and dissect him, but the - the medical droid thought it would be better to do a fifth-level brain scan. So, when the doctors weren’t around, that’s what we did. And we found this… chip, in his brain.”

Anakin stiffened. A chip in his brain? A spike of panic flashed through him at the memory of a different implant, one that would detonate if the person bearing it tried to escape.

“I wanted to know how deep this went,” Fives was saying. “I kept digging, and what I found was that we all, all of us clones, have these chips - put in us when we’re embryos. Nala Se says they’re to ‘make us less aggressive,’ but I saw what happened to Tup. That wasn’t plain aggression. ‘Good soldiers follow orders,’ he kept saying. It was something about the chip making him act that way, I know it. These chips have orders on them, orders that can make us act against our will, even…” He glanced around the room, taking in the faces of the Council members. “Kill the Jedi.”

Fives paused to let his words sink in.

“Hmm,” said Yoda. “Disturbing, this is. A Separatist plot, could it be?”

Fives grimaced. “I was convinced it was a Separatist plot - and it would make perfect sense if it was. I mean, what better way to undermine an army than by making its soldiers turn against their comrades?” He and Rex exchanged a look, no doubt remembering the losses sustained on Umbara. “But when General Shaak Ti brought me to tell the Chancellor, he told me… he told me it was all  _ his _ idea.”

Mace Windu’s brow furrowed. “Why would the Chancellor want to destroy the Jedi?” he wondered aloud.

Though he remained silent, Anakin wondered the same thing. He knew that Palpatine didn’t always have the highest opinion of any Jedi other than him, but to want them destroyed? And to use the clones against their will to do it? It seemed beyond him, and yet…

“If I might interject,” said Obi-Wan, “I believe someone mentioned once that the Republic was under the control of a Sith Lord. You don’t suppose this plot to destroy the Jedi might have anything to do with Darth Sidious?”

The other Council members gave him quizzical looks. “Believe Count Dooku, do you?” Yoda asked pointedly.

“It’s not that I believe every word out of his mouth,” he clarified, “but why would he make such a claim if it weren’t at least somewhat true?” Looking back at Fives, he added, “Similarly, why would Chancellor Palpatine claim that this plot was his idea if it weren’t true?”

“Hmm,” said Yoda once again. “Meditate on this, we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fives lives!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More pieces come together.

As the Council deliberated, Anakin followed his men outside.

His mind fixated on the chips Fives had described. How did they work? Were they anything like the slave implants he and his mother had once had? Was there a way of deactivating them, or would all the clones have to have them surgically removed to circumvent the plot Fives had alluded to?

The plot Palpatine had allegedly claimed to have a part in...

And here was the thing: he had known that Palpatine wasn’t especially fond of the Jedi. Anakin wondered if it was his fault - he had complained about them so much, it might give an outside listener the wrong impression. But had Palpatine not also wished for Anakin to grow powerful as a Jedi? Had he not said that he foresaw Anakin becoming greater even than Master Yoda?

_ Unless, _ whispered a small part of his mind that sounded like Ahsoka,  _ he would ask you to leave the Order… _

Which, the longer he thought about it, was actually starting to make sense.  _ Anakin is all the security I will ever need. _ Perhaps he intended to let Anakin train as a Jedi, only to then make him into a glorified bodyguard of some sort. Then he would have his favorite Jedi by his side at all times and not have to share him with the Order.

Just like Miraj Scintel...

Well. His thoughts had gone down a dark path.

He glanced over at Rex, who was comforting Fives. Somewhere in the captain’s brain was a chip that could override his free will. The thought chilled Anakin to the bone. It had disturbed him from the very beginning of the war that the clones had been bred for military service. That the Jedi had apparently ordered their creation had certainly caused him to question the Order’s morals. But whenever he had a moral disagreement with any part of the war effort, he could always justify it to himself with the thought that at least the clones, unlike Separatist droids, had free will.

Now, he thought grimly, even that wasn’t something he could be sure of.

“You can do that,” he heard Fives say, “but it would have to be here. No going back to Kamino with this.”

“What are you thinking?” he asked them.

“Fives had his chip removed, sir,” said Rex, “but he lost track of it after his meeting with the Chancellor. Maybe the Jedi need physical proof. And-” he swallowed tightly- “if what Fives said is true… I don’t want a chip in my head making me act against my will.”

\---

Hours later, Anakin found Obi-Wan outside the Council chamber.

“We are studying the chip,” he said in response to Anakin’s unspoken question. “According to Shaak Ti, these chips are capable of dictating or responding to the thoughts of their hosts and are meant to make them more compliant to orders.” They shared a grimace. “If Fives’s account is to be believed, the chips carry an encoded order to kill the Jedi.”

Anakin looked grimly at the floor, then back up at Obi-Wan. “Do you think the Chancellor could really be behind this?”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I hoped Count Dooku was only bluffing to shake my faith, but the implication of the Chancellor in this plot makes me wonder if he was telling the truth. One thing is certain, however - he cannot be allowed to know that we know about this.”

Anakin nodded. “Rex is spreading word among the clones,” he said. “I trust their discretion.” He swallowed nervously, not wanting to think about what he would say (or not say) the next time he talked with Palpatine.  _ Retaking Ringo Vinda went well. No, I definitely have no idea what went wrong the first time. No, I have no idea where Fives is. Say, you wouldn’t happen to be plotting the destruction of the Jedi, would you? Asking for a friend… _

“I also trust your men’s discretion,” said Obi-Wan. “I only hope that I can count on yours as well. I know you and Palpatine are close-”

“I won’t tell him anything,” Anakin vowed. “If he asks, I’ll say… I’ll say Fives escaped, and I lost track of him.”

\---

As it happened, the next time they saw each other, he was with the Council in Palpatine’s office. The Chancellor had called them in to explain what his scientists had found in Tup’s autopsy.

“A parasite native to Ringo Vinda. Probably in a canteen of water they both shared. It did cause the inhibitors to decay once the parasite had taken hold. It is very rare. However, just to be cautious, we have prepared an inoculation for every clone trooper in our army.”

Mace Windu carefully schooled his expression. “So, I guess it’s over then.”

“Yes,” said Palpatine, glancing first at the Masters, then at Anakin, who was doing his best to hang his head in regret. “We can finally put this whole wretched situation behind us. We must direct our attention back to the war at hand. Each day, we grow closer and closer to victory.”

Anakin had a feeling Palpatine didn’t mean a Republic victory, though he had no way of explaining this feeling. He couldn’t leave the office fast enough.

\---

Count Dooku had escaped again. Or… Tyranus? Was that what the Pykes had called him? The name seemed to mean something to Obi-Wan. Before they called the Council, Anakin asked him.

“Just before the war started,” said Obi-Wan, “when I was investigating the clone army, Jango Fett said he’d been employed by a man called Tyranus.  _ Darth _ Tyranus, I suppose.” He laughed uneasily. “Very reassuring, to know that the army created for the Jedi was guided in production by the Sith.”

A disturbing thought struck Anakin. “The chips… you don’t think…?”

“His doing?” Obi-Wan frowned, running a hand over his beard. “It would explain why the chips would make the clones kill Jedi. Maybe it was a Separatist plot after all, or a Sith plot at least.”

With that, he took out his holocomm and relayed everything they had discovered to the Council.

Yoda’s ancient features settled into a frown. “Know now we do, that guide the creation of the clones from the beginning, Dooku did. Hmm. Our enemy created an army for us.”

Mace Windu turned in his seat at Yoda’s left to face the Grandmaster. “If this was known, public confidence in the war effort, the Jedi, and the Republic would vanish. There would be mass chaos.”

“Cover up this discovery, we must,” said Yoda. “No one, especially not the Chancellor, may know. An implication we have connecting him to this plot. But valiant men the clones have proven to be. Saved my life and yours, they have, many times. Believe in them we must. Win the war swiftly, we must, before our enemy’s designs reach completion.”

Mace frowned. “Are you sure we are taking the right path?”

“Hmm,” Yoda said uneasily. “The right path, no. The only path. Yes… Designed by the Dark Lord of the Sith, this web is. For now, play his game, we must.”

Privately, and surprising himself, Anakin found himself agreeing with Master Windu. The war had been orchestrated by the Sith. What if, by fighting it, the Jedi were walking into a trap? It just seemed a little too convenient…

Well, he supposed, at least a swift Republic victory would ensure that Dooku wouldn’t see this plot through to its conclusion.

\---

With the growing amount of evidence of a Sith plot involving the clones, coupled with the implication of Palpatine in Fives’s statement, Anakin was finding all the excuses he could to avoid talking to the Chancellor. He was busy training. He was attending a strategy meeting. He was visiting Padmé (that one wasn’t a lie). He even developed the habit of leaving his comlink with Obi-Wan when he visited his wife, trusting his friend to make excuses for him.

“Tell Padmé I said hello,” Obi-Wan began saying whenever this happened. And he did.

“Does he know about us?” she asked once.

Anakin shook his head.

“I think he should. You share so many secrets already, you know he’ll always support you.” She squeezed his hand. “He loves you.”

“I’ll think about it,” he said.

“Promise me,” Padmé insisted. “Promise me that by the next time you come back here, you will have told Obi-Wan that we’re married.”

“Okay,” he conceded. “I’ll tell him.”

All in all, when he and Obi-Wan were deployed to the Outer Rim the next day, Anakin couldn’t say he entirely regretted the parsecs that separated him from Coruscant. It would give him time, at least, to formulate his thoughts, not to mention the ready-made excuse it provided for his lack of communication with a certain Chancellor.

He didn’t want to talk to or even think about that man right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Kronk voice) Oh yeah. It's all coming together.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin chooses Obi-Wan.

True to his promise, and after a significant amount of pressure from Padmé in their carefully scheduled holo-calls, Anakin did eventually tell Obi-Wan the truth.

He was less surprised than Anakin had been expecting. “How long?” was his only question.

“Since after Geonosis,” Anakin answered. “When I escorted her back to Naboo, we had a private ceremony. Under false names.” In response to Obi-Wan’s raised eyebrows, he added, “Her idea.”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan began, and he braced himself for a lecture about attachments and the Jedi way. It never came. Instead, what Obi-Wan said was, “I told you once that I would support you no matter which path you choose in life. If that path is outside the Jedi Order…” He took a deep breath. “I will support your decision.”

He thought of Ahsoka. In truth, he had been so caught up in wanting to prove her innocence, he had forgotten to think of how she might feel about her place in the Order. He tried to imagine himself in similar circumstances, but for all his frustration both real and imagined, he could never envision leaving the Order himself.

“I’ve always wanted to bring justice to the galaxy,” he admitted. “And every day we’ve fought this war, I’ve told myself that this is how I’ll do it. But if I’m being entirely honest… every day, I believe it less and less.” He sighed. “I don’t like being a pawn in someone’s bigger game.”

“I don’t either,” Obi-Wan told him. “None of us do. But once the war is over…” He trailed off uncertainly.

Once the war was over, indeed.

\---

But for now, they were pawns in a bigger game. And as such, they remained on the Outer Rim war front for months on end, vainly hoping with each battle that it would be the last.

The future remained uncertain. Neither of them was quite sure what to make of the bigger game the war was part of. One thing they were certain of, however, was that the war needed to end, and soon. That, at least, was something they could make happen.

It was a seemingly hopeless endeavor. Their victories, over time, felt less like victories and more like desperate scrambles, their losses, all the more crushing. But no matter how hopeless things seemed, they were never without hope. They had each other. And that, to them, was worth more than any victory.

\---

So that was why, when the kidnapped Palpatine told him to leave Obi-Wan for dead, Anakin refused.

_ Why would he ask that of me? _ The question continually prodded at him from the back of his mind throughout the rest of the mission. Obi-Wan was one of the finest warriors the Jedi had, one of the Republic’s most skilled generals, and more than that, he was Anakin’s best friend, the other half of his soul. To leave him behind would be to kill a part of himself. Palpatine wouldn’t ask that of him… would he?

As the remains of the Invisible Hand touched down on Coruscant’s surface, Anakin faintly remembered the suspicions cast by both Ahsoka and himself. Maybe it wasn’t despite his and Obi-Wan’s deep friendship that Palpatine had asked that of him, but because of it….

The ship ground to a halt, rattling everyone inside. Artoo beeped hopefully. Anakin breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to look at Obi-Wan, who was pushing a strand of hair away from his brow.

“Another happy landing,” his friend declared.

_ Happy that he lived to see it, _ Anakin thought. Stars only knew how much less happy that landing would have been if he’d followed Palpatine’s instruction.

He chose not to linger on that thought.

\---

“What about Obi-Wan?” Padmé asked him that night after he told her about his dream.

“What about him?”

“You told me once that he is as wise as Yoda and as powerful as Mace Windu. Couldn’t he help us?”

Anakin frowned. His first instinct would have been to say no, but… hadn’t he told Obi-Wan about their marriage all those months ago?

“He might, actually,” said Anakin. Seeing visions was rare, but maybe somewhere in the restricted section of the archives, there were holocrons about vision interpretation. Obi-Wan, as a Master and Council member, would be able to access them.

“Then ask him,” Padmé insisted. “Don’t carry this burden alone. You’re a team, remember?”

“I will,” Anakin assured her. “First thing tomorrow.”

\---

When a Jedi had a question about the deepest subtleties of the Force, there was one source to whom he could always turn, but Anakin wasn’t investigating deep subtleties. At least, not yet. What he was looking for right now was a trusted friend he could speak with openly. So the first thing that morning, or at least at a time he was sure most people would be awake, he made his way to the Jedi temple and caught Obi-Wan outside his quarters.

“You’re certainly up early,” said Obi-Wan. “Is something wrong?”

“Can’t I get up early once in a while?” Anakin joked, falling into step with him as he strode along the hallway. “But now that you mention it, something is wrong.” He lowered his voice. “I had one of… those dreams again, like the ones I had about my mother.”

Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks, then glanced around to make sure they were alone. “...Who was it about?” he asked in an undertone.

“Padmé,” Anakin whispered. “She was dying in childbirth.” Realizing he had failed to fully explain, he quickly added, “She’s pregnant.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows knitted together as he took in the information.

“I hope this is a false vision like you warned me about,” Anakin said quickly, “but I need to know more. I was hoping we could browse the Archives. There has to be something there about visions and making them not happen.”

“We can do that,” Obi-Wan said, “later. Right now, I’m on the way to a briefing on the Outer Rim sieges, which you should also be going to, by the way.”

“...Okay,” said Anakin after a moment. “But after the briefing, we browse the Archives?”

“Certainly.”

\---

Later, once Obi-Wan had talked the Archives Master into letting him check out several holocrons from the restricted section, Anakin was so immersed in reading he almost didn’t notice the beeping of his comlink.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered, “you might want to answer that.”

Shaking his head to wake up, Anakin extracted himself from some ancient Master’s dream journal and pressed the accept button.

“Hello, Anakin,” said an all too familiar voice. Oh no.

“Your Excellency?”

“It has been far too long,” Palpatine continued. “You wouldn’t mind paying me a visit, would you? I’m afraid I haven’t been able to properly thank you for rescuing me.”

Anakin caught Obi-Wan’s eye, catching an almost-imperceptible shake of his head.

“I’m terribly sorry, sir,” he said, “but I have a personal matter to deal with. I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course,” said the Chancellor. “But if you should ever need to talk to someone about your personal matters, my door is always open to you.”

Anakin shivered uncomfortably as he signed off, then laughed. “I can’t imagine what he would think if he knew about… this,” he said, gesturing at the cluster of holocrons between him and Obi-Wan on the table.

Obi-Wan, who had returned to his perusal, hardly noticed. He was reading to himself under his breath, beard twitching as he moved his lips. Anakin re-opened the dream journal, but his gaze slipped past the holographic text, focusing instead on Obi-Wan’s lips. What would it feel like to kiss those lips? Would the beard feel scratchy or soft?

He snapped himself out of the reverie. What was he thinking? Here he was, ostensibly doing research on how to save Padmé’s life, and he was thinking about kissing Obi-Wan. He focused resolutely on the journal, berating himself all the while.

He was almost glad when both his and Obi-Wan’s comlinks beeped, summoning them to a Council meeting.

\---

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Obi-Wan asked as they entered the turbolift.

“Not yet,” Anakin admitted, pressing the button to close the door. “Did you find anything?”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m not sure,” he said. “But I did find an account from the Sith Wars detailing how one of the author’s closest friends fell to the Dark Side after having visions planted in his mind by the Sith. Really, an interesting read.”

Visions planted in his mind… “Did the account say what the visions were of?” Anakin asked nervously. If his vision wasn’t real, it wouldn’t come true. At least, it was a lot less likely to come true.

“Mostly of the author dying horribly,” said Obi-Wan, grimacing. “They were quite close, and the author suspects that the Sith who planted those visions hoped to throw his friend out of balance with the suffering of someone he was close to.”

Anakin thought about his massacre of the Tusken Raiders. Yes, the suffering of a loved one did have a way of throwing someone off balance. But who…?

The turbolift chimed as they reached the Council chambers.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin is appointed to the Council and gets more sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a whole lot of me reading and rereading the ROTS novel and asking myself how differently things could have gone if only Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship were better enough for him to ask Obi-Wan for help. The answer, as it turns out, is much, much differently.

“Anakin Skywalker,” Mace Windu declared severely. “The Council has decided to comply with Chancellor Palpatine’s directive, and with the instructions of the Senate that give him the unprecedented authority to command this Council. You are hereby granted a seat at the High Council of the Jedi, as the Chancellor’s personal representative.”

Anakin stood still for a long moment, unsure of what he was hearing.  _ Me? On the Council? _

His mind was still occupied with the account he had read while waiting outside as Obi-Wan talked with the other Masters.  _ The vision seems to change every time he has it. Yesterday, it was of me falling off a cliff - today, it was me subjected to Force lightning and calling his name. He is getting more desperate. _

Realizing that he had been silent for too long, he took a deep breath. “Thank you, Masters. You have my pledge that I will uphold the highest principles of the Jedi Order.”

“Allow this appointment lightly, the Council does not,” said Yoda, his ears curling forward. “Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine.”

Anakin nodded, cradling the holocron in his pocket. “I understand.”

“You are on this Council,” Mace continued, “but we do not grant you the rank of Master.”

Good thing he had Obi-Wan’s help, at least. Anakin smiled to himself as he took the empty seat beside his friend, still thinking about the visions planted in that ancient Jedi’s mind. Was it possible that his own visions were planted? He would need to be in contact with a Sith, of course, but if Obi-Wan’s suspicions about a Sith Lord within Palpatine’s inner circle were correct, it was possible.

Of course, between his avoidance of the Chancellor’s office and the brevity of any contact the previous day, his interaction with Palpatine’s inner circle had been minimal at best. A hidden Sith among his guards and advisors would have to be exceptionally observant.

As the meeting progressed, Anakin paid little attention to what was discussed (something about a droid attack on the Wookiees) and tried to remember which guards and advisors he had talked to the previous day. Had he talked to any of them? Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure what any of their voices sounded like. No, the only people he consciously remembered talking to for longer than it took to shake hands were Bail Organa and Padmé.

\---

“I guess this is why he wanted to talk to me earlier,” Anakin said to Obi-Wan as they left the Council chamber. “To tell me he was appointing me to the Council.”

“Yes, about that.” Obi-Wan paused, uncertain. “I want you to know that I never wanted to see you put in this situation.”

“What situation?” Now Anakin was curious. He was already in the situation of avoiding calls from a man he had long considered a friend, all the while researching how to prevent a vision of his wife’s death from coming true. What situation could possibly be worse?

Obi-Wan glanced around the hall, breathing slowly. “The Council approved your appointment because Palpatine trusts you,” he said. “Do you remember what we discussed on Oba Diah and afterwards regarding Darth Sidious?”

Anakin nodded. “You said Dooku told you that Darth Sidious was in control of the Republic.”

“Master Windu has continued the investigation,” said Obi-Wan. “He traced Darth Sidious to 500 Republica before Grievous’s attack, confirming what Dooku suggested - we think the Sith Lord is someone within Palpatine’s closest circle of advisors.”

“About that,” Anakin interjected. “I did some more reading. The Jedi who had visions planted in his mind was in close contact with the Sith. If my vision was, in fact, planted - and I hope it was - then the Sith Lord is someone I interacted with yesterday, and none of Palpatine’s advisors gave me anything more than a handshake and a ‘thank you.’”

Obi-Wan’s brows furrowed. “That would be important to take into consideration if we were certain that your vision was planted. In any case, the Council wants you to report on the Chancellor’s dealings so we can determine who the Sith Lord is. They have to know what he’s up to. If he  _ is _ dealing with a Sith Lord, he could be in danger.”

_ Or he could  _ be _ the danger, _ Anakin thought uncomfortably. He remembered what Fives had said about the inhibitor chips. Those chips were part of a Sith plot, there could be no doubt of that, and according to Fives’s testimony, they had been Palpatine’s idea. Sith or not, the idea that Palpatine would gladly confess to that kind of atrocity did him little credit.

Anakin sighed. “I’d rather investigate my dreams,” he muttered petulantly.

“Of course,” said Obi-Wan. “But you must stop avoiding him. It looks suspicious.” He turned to face Anakin, giving him a sympathetic look. “The next time he calls, accept his invitation, but try to get some sleep if you can before then.”

\---

Anakin awoke from his nap in the late evening, relieved to find himself in Padmé’s bedroom.

The vision had been different this time. Padmé was still dying in childbirth, still bloody and screaming, but this time, Obi-Wan was holding her hand, and it was him she was screaming for.

Fumbling anxiously, Anakin dug the holocron out of his pile of robes on the floor. The author had written down everything he’d known or suspected about the planted visions. What did he say about the relationship between him and his friend?

_ We are closer than friends, closer than brothers, and everybody knows it, Light side and Dark alike. The war is our life, and our life is a weapon. Together, we are unstoppable. Unbeatable. _

_ Really, I should have seen this coming. What better way to beat an unstoppable Team than to divide them? _

An unstoppable Team, now who did that sound like?

He was interrupted from his musing by a gentle knock on the door. Padmé entered the room, holding Anakin’s comlink and looking worried.

“The Chancellor has a message for you,” she said. “He said he wants you to meet him at the Galaxies Opera House tonight.”

The mission…

“Ani, is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he assured her, smiling anxiously. “I just have a new lead, that’s all.”

“A new lead?” she asked. “About what?”

“My nightmares.” He laughed, taking heart in the idea that it was only an imagined danger. “I learned today that the Sith can actually plant false visions in Jedi’s minds. What I saw last night - and just now - are probably just that, planted visions.”

Padmé smiled for a moment, then looked concerned. “Are you saying that there could be a Sith influencing you?”

The Sith in the historical account had wanted to split up the author and his friend. Who had wanted him to leave Obi-Wan for dead, to split up their unstoppable Team? Fives’s words came to mind.  _ What better way to undermine an army than by making its soldiers turn against their comrades? _

Fives…

Anakin sighed. There was no hiding from a politician. “Yes, and I think I know who it is.” Looking his wife directly in the eyes, he said, “I’ll need more evidence to be sure, but I’m ninety-nine percent certain it’s the Chancellor.”

\---

Padmé couldn’t say it was a surprise, exactly, that the man who had been picking away at democracy and local autonomy for the last three years might be one of the evil sorcerers her husband said he was meant to destroy. Still, as she had earlier, she felt a stab of regret at having once considered Palpatine an ally. She had been headstrong at fourteen, caring deeply for her people, and they had loved her for it, but she had been young and unprepared for such an important role in politics.

_ Maybe that was the idea, _ she thought, remembering how pleased her parents had been to tell her that Senator Palpatine thought she should be Queen. Young and inexperienced as she had been during the Naboo crisis, she had been thinking in the short term and only cared about what would accelerate the process of receiving aid. She could see now that Palpatine had been using the crisis for political gain.

She was beginning to see that the Chancellor was a despot. But… thinking back to the crisis thirteen years ago, it hadn’t just been the Trade Federation occupying the palace. There had been a black-robed warrior with a red lightsaber. According to the Jedi, he had been a Sith, and his presence meant that the Sith were working with the Trade Federation to blockade Naboo. If Palpatine was a Sith, he had not only used the crisis for political gain, he had caused it, likely with political gain in mind.

The leader of this dying democracy, someone Padmé had once respected, was not only a despot, but a master manipulator and an evil sorcerer to boot. It was a terrible truth to face. But if there was a silver lining to learning it in the way she just had, it was that Anakin would now do whatever it took to bring that man to justice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anakin, please get a healthy amount of sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is the opening night of Squid Lake at the Galaxies Opera. Only this time, the hero realizes that he is being fooled.

Anakin ran a hand through his hastily-combed hair as he approached Palpatine’s private box at the Galaxies Opera, hoping he didn’t look as though he had just rolled out of bed. As always, he paid the Red Guards little mind as he stepped inside. They weren’t the Sith he was looking for.

Palpatine sat in the dim with several aides. Anakin supposed that if he were there to sleuth out which one of them was a secret Sith, he should sneak up behind them, but that would be pointless, as he already knew.

The challenge would be to pretend he didn’t know.

Doing his best to approximate the past of his and Palpatine’s friendship, he approached. “You wanted to see me, Chancellor?”

Palpatine smiled. “Yes, Anakin. Come closer, I have good news.”

_ News? Or nightmares? _ Ignoring how it made his stomach churn, Anakin leaned down, allowing the likely Sith to speak directly into his ear.

“Our clone intelligence units have discovered the location of General Grievous,” Palpatine said in an undertone. “He is hiding in the Utapau system.”

“At last,” said Anakin, “we’ll be able to capture that monster and end this war.”

Palpatine smiled ruefully. “I would worry about the collective wisdom of the Council if they didn’t select you for this assignment. You’re the best choice by far.”

_ He wants  _ me _ to apprehend Grievous? _ Anakin asked himself, studying the Chancellor’s face for a moment before resolving to dissect the motives later.

“Sit down,” Palpatine said, then turned to his aides. “Leave us.”

The aides left. Frowning secretly, Anakin took the seat to Palpatine’s left.

“Anakin,” said the Chancellor, “you know I’m not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven’t included you in their plot, they soon will.”

_ Included me in their plot? _ he thought, fighting the urge to laugh.  _ Like you’ve “included” the clones in yours? _

Best to play dumb for now. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“You must sense what I have come to suspect,” Palpatine continued. “The Jedi Council want control of the Republic. They’re planning to betray me.”

Betray  _ him? _ “I don’t think-”

“Anakin,” he said, in a softer tone than Obi-Wan would use, and yet harsher than he could ever hope to be. “Search your feelings. You know, don’t you?”

Their eyes met. His penetrative gaze seemed to bore into the depths of Anakin’s head. He swallowed tightly. “I know they don’t trust you,” he admitted.  _ And I don’t either. _

“Or the Senate,” said Palpatine, turning away. “Or the Republic. Or democracy, for that matter.”

Anakin sighed, falling into silence. He was out of his depth. He wished Obi-Wan were there, or Padmé - they would know what to do in this situation. Both of them were good at saying the right thing to a target to achieve their goals. The one time that had been Anakin’s job… he shuddered to recall the night he had spent in Miraj Scintel’s bed, and at the dreams he’d had since.

Dreams about the same situation, but with the man who now sat beside him.

_ Say what they want to hear, _ he remembered Obi-Wan saying in a lesson on delicate negotiations. Palpatine obviously wanted to hear him complain about the Jedi like he had when he was younger. But what if he overdid it, and Palpatine picked up on the insincerity? He was just about to open his mouth when he remembered that the Sith had been planting nightmares in his mind. The dim opera house was quite relaxing, actually, the exact sort of environment he might fall asleep in. Maybe if he played up being sleepy…

“I have to admit-” he started to say before letting out a powerful, extremely fake yawn and rubbing his eyes for effect.

Palpatine looked at him sympathetically for a moment before continuing to speak.

“Remember back to your early teachings?” he said. “All who gain power are afraid to lose it. Even the Jedi.”

_ And you, _ Anakin privately added. Still, he said nothing, sinking back into the comfortable seat of the luxurious opera house box. He wondered how often people fell asleep here during performances. Maybe if he looked like he was falling asleep, Palpatine would say something…

“Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?”

\---

As soon as he could, Anakin excused himself to use the fresher. There were several people inside. Once they had left, Anakin pulled out his holotransmitter and contacted Obi-Wan.

He answered in about ten seconds. His hair was wet from showering and he was in his sleep clothes, a patch of chest hair visible in the dip of his shirt. “What is it?”

Anakin cleared his throat, face flushing. “I know who the Sith Lord is,” he said. “I was with the Chancellor just now, and after he told me about how he thinks the Jedi are planning to betray him, he told me a Sith legend.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. “Are you certain it’s him?”

“I can’t think of anyone else it might be,” said Anakin. “Like I said, I didn’t talk to any of his advisors yesterday. And I know the visions are planted now.” He neglected to mention what the second vision had been about. That was a situation he would have to unpack at a later time.

Obi-Wan frowned, a hand coming up to stroke through his beard.

“But there’s good news,” Anakin said quickly. “Clone intelligence has located General Grievous. The Chancellor thinks I should lead the campaign to apprehend him.”

“We’ll discuss this in the morning,” said Obi-Wan, just barely holding back a yawn. “I sense a trap.”

“Next move?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan smiled before reaching for the holotransmitter to shut it off. “Spring the trap.”

As the image of his co-conspirator flickered away, Anakin smiled as well.

\---

Obi-Wan stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

It made sense to him that the Chancellor was the Sith Lord. But explaining his thinking to the Council would be a greater challenge. What evidence did they have?

Sidious had been traced to 500 Republica, which had led the Council to believe he was among Palpatine’s advisors. Palpatine knew a Sith legend - he would have to ask Anakin for more details - and prior to this, the Council had been certain that Palpatine didn’t believe the Sith even existed. Except… what had he said of Dooku?

_ You’re no match for him, he’s a Sith Lord! _

Obi-Wan grimaced. Somehow, in his report, he had neglected to mention that.

So Palpatine not only knew that the Sith existed, he had told Anakin a Sith legend. Even if that didn’t prove he was a Sith, it was evidence enough of his sympathies. Anakin’s assignment was to determine who in the Chancellor’s inner circle was the hidden Sith, and  _ he _ was convinced that it was the Chancellor himself, but… Obi-Wan shuddered, realizing exactly what he would have to reveal to prove without a doubt who the Sith was.

No. He wouldn’t. The matter of Anakin’s visions was personal, discussed in confidence with him and Padmé alone. He would not betray that confidence.

He would visit Padmé’s apartment tomorrow, then. The three of them would discuss the right course of action before he told the Council anything.

\---

Padmé woke up much as she had the day before, with the room still dark and her bed empty. She came out to the living room to find Anakin deep in thought.

“He’s trying to split us up,” Anakin said.

Padmé joined him on the couch. “You and me?” she asked him. She didn’t know if Palpatine was aware of what she and her friends in the Senate were discussing, but it made sense he would try to take Anakin away from her.

Anakin shook his head. “Me and Obi-Wan,” he said. “I had another of those dreams. You were dying, and then… Obi-Wan accused me of killing you.”

“These dreams aren’t real,” she reminded him, leaning against his shoulder.

“I know.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I guess I was just thinking about the account I read yesterday from the Sith Wars. There were two Jedi who were especially close, and a Sith was able to turn one of them to the Dark Side by manipulating his dreams.”

Padmé thought about it for a moment. “You don’t think he’s trying to do that to you?”

Anakin stared silently out the window.

“Well, at least you know,” she said. “Knowing is half the battle.”

“Palpatine will never have me,” Anakin resolved. “Not with you and Obi-Wan by my side.”

They stayed together on the couch and watched the sun rise over the city until they heard the sound of a visitor at the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise maybe isn't the best bedtime story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan visits Anakin and Padmé. They work together to foil Sidious's plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Some of the assumptions and conclusions the characters make are not entirely accurate.

Anakin sipped his caf anxiously as C-3PO shuffled over from the doorway, Obi-Wan evidently having turned down his offer of something to drink. He observed from the couch as Obi-Wan kissed Padmé on both cheeks in greeting. His heart fluttered to think of how that beard would feel brushing against his own face…

Then Obi-Wan turned to face him. Not wanting to seem as if he were staring, Anakin hastily gulped down a mouthful of caf, probably spilling some onto his robes. He sank back down onto the couch, blushing. Since when was he this nervous to see his best friend?

“I came to talk to Anakin,” he heard Obi-Wan say, “though you should hear this too. I assume he told you about his dream?”

“The one where I die in childbirth?” Padmé sat beside him on the couch and gestured for Obi-Wan to join them. “Yes, he told me. And that wasn’t all.” She looked at him. “Tell him what you told me this morning.”

Anakin cleared his throat. “I had another of those planted visions last night,” he said, looking down nervously for a moment before meeting Obi-Wan’s eyes. “Padmé was dying, and then… you accused me of killing her. I think Palpatine is trying to pull me away from you like in the story.” He swallowed before adding, “to the Dark Side.”

Obi-Wan frowned as he took in the information. “That… would explain a great deal,” he muttered. “Unfortunately, I don’t know what to tell the Council. They would like to believe that the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic is not a Sith Lord, and I don’t think I could convince them of the truth without making some mention of your visions.”

Anakin glanced between Obi-Wan and Padmé, then closed his eyes. He wished Ahsoka were there. He laughed silently to remember what she had thought about his interactions with the Chancellor.  _ And would you look at that, _ he thought,  _ Palpatine does want me. Just maybe not in the way you first thought. _

What would Ahsoka do in this situation? The reckless Padawan he had met on Christophsis would confront Palpatine directly, Council be damned. But the Ahsoka who had matured by his side would remind him to exercise caution.

“So I suppose I should gather more evidence,” he said bleakly. That meant going back to Palpatine and fielding his advances, knowing he was a Sith and waiting for him to say something. He despised waiting.

“Unless you would prefer to tell the Council about your visions.” Obi-Wan gazed at him sympathetically. “You don’t have to describe them in detail. Just tell them about his attempts to distance you from me and relate it to the story.”

Tell the Council about his visions? Even without mentioning Padmé’s pregnancy, to tell them of Palpatine’s intention to seduce him to the Dark Side? To tell Master  _ Yoda _ ? Anakin thought of the ancient Grandmaster lecturing him on fear when he was nine years old and had first been brought to Coruscant after leaving his mother. What Yoda would say if he knew that the Sith intended to claim Anakin, he would sooner endure another evening at the opera house than find out.

Anakin groaned. “I just want this to be over before Master Yoda gets back. I’d rather not hear his lecture about how it’s somehow my fault Sidious wants me.” Padmé’s hands found Anakin’s upper arm and gripped tightly.

Obi-Wan grimaced. “I understand your reservations,” he said. “But now, the ball is in your court. It is your choice how this will be resolved, and I trust you’ll make a wise decision.”

Just then, both his and Obi-Wan’s comlinks started beeping. Obi-Wan answered his. “Yes?”

“We are calling the Council into special session,” said Mace Windu on the other end. “We’ve located General Grievous!”

“Thank you, Master Windu,” said Obi-Wan. “We’re on our way.”

Padmé covered her mouth with one hand, then lowered the hand to her abdomen. Anakin felt a small movement - did the baby just kick? Yes, that was a kick. Another reminder of what the future could be once the war was over.  _ Once that poodoo Sidious is dealt with _ , Anakin reminded himself. With Dooku dead, Sidious and Grievous were the last two obstacles to peace. Which reminded him…

“Palpatine expressed to me last night that he wants me to apprehend Grievous,” Anakin said.

Padmé’s eyes shone with unshed tears, which she quickly blinked back. “Don’t go,” she whispered. “If that’s what he wants you to do, it can’t be for a good reason.”

He wanted to argue, but was interrupted by the memory of Dooku on his knees, blades crossed at his throat.  _ I shouldn’t _ , Anakin had said.  _ It’s not the Jedi way. _ As much as he had hated Dooku, killing him unarmed had felt wrong, unnatural.

_ The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. _

So that was how Palpatine intended to turn him. Dooku had been a step, and Grievous was surely the next one.

He glanced uncertainly at Obi-Wan.

“The Council has recommended me for the task,” said Obi-Wan. “Today’s meeting will make their decision official.”

\---

Just as Obi-Wan predicted, the mission to Utapau was assigned to him and him alone.

He had accepted this. Grievous was his responsibility, one he had accepted almost as soon as he had gotten a good look at him. Their altercations over the years had never failed to send the bio-droid monstrosity running away on all sixes with his metaphorical tail between his legs. This time, however, he had the whole Council’s vote of confidence that Grievous wouldn’t escape.

Still, no matter how many solo missions he had done, it never got any easier to tell Anakin goodbye.

“I wish I could go with you,” Anakin confessed to him in a low voice as clone troopers boarded the cruiser behind him. “I’d rather deal with Grievous than all of this.”

Obi-Wan gazed at him with a sad smile. “It may be nothing but a wild bantha chase,” he said. “Your job is much more important here, Anakin.” He wondered briefly how Anakin would choose to go about proving the Sith Lord’s identity, then dismissed the thought. He had done his part. The rest was in Anakin’s hands.

“Master,” Anakin said as they approached the ramp. His eyes searched Obi-Wan’s. “I haven’t expressed my gratitude. You’ve done more for me in the last few days than either of us may ever fully realize. I… appreciate everything.”

There was no imagining the flush of his cheeks.

Obi-Wan gripped Anakin’s mechanical hand, cradling it gently in one hand as he squeezed Anakin’s shoulder in the other. The flush deepened. “You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know, and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be.”

Anakin ducked his head at the praise, and Obi-Wan wondered briefly if he sounded too much like Master Windu had after Ahsoka’s trial. The last thing he wanted was to dredge up a painful memory while praising the man who had become as his other half.

But when Anakin met his eyes, Obi-Wan found no such pain in them. He was smiling. Not a grin like Darth Maul’s or one of Chancellor Palpatine’s charming smiles that never quite reached the eyes. Not even the cocky smirk Anakin had been so fond of throughout the war. But a real smile, soft and genuine, the sort reserved for quiet moments. The smile that always made his heart skip a beat.

The smile that, for all his reserved composure, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but to return.

A distant chime called his attention back to the present. Feeling the slightest twinge of regret, he turned around and began to ascend the ramp.

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin called from behind him. He turned back around, drinking in the sight of his friend bathed in sunlight. “May the Force be with you.”

Obi-Wan smiled again. “Goodbye, old friend. May the Force be with you.”

With those words, Obi-Wan took one last look at Anakin, watching as a strand of golden hair was picked up by a slight breeze; and tore himself away, climbing the rest of the way onto the Venator-class cruiser.

A Jedi must let go of attachments, and he did. Just as he always had when they were assigned separate missions. Which more often than not turned into one of them either mounting a rescue effort or cleaning up the other’s mess.

It wasn’t terribly different this time, really. The terms were clear. Once Grievous was destroyed, Palpatine should give up his emergency powers - if he didn’t, it was cause for arrest. Obi-Wan’s part was on Utapau with Grievous. Anakin’s was on Coruscant with Palpatine.

Still, he wondered: who was rescuing who this time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, canonically, Palpatine's recommendation of Anakin for the Utapau mission was a tactic to further drive a wedge between him and the Council, since he knew the Council would choose Obi-Wan (especially since they had already unofficially assigned Anakin to spy on him and weren't about to send him off-planet). I, as the fanfic author, am aware of this. However, the characters' knowledge isn't what ours is, so Anakin assumes here that Palpatine's recommendation is genuine, but given what he's figured out about Palpatine's intentions toward him, he assumes that fighting Grievous is what would make him turn to the Dark Side. All of this together means that Obi-Wan goes to Utapau while Anakin remains on Coruscant just as in canon. But don't think that means victory for old Palpy - the relationships Anakin has with his support network here are stronger than in canon, maybe too strong for his manipulation to break.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin tries the espionage thing again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a love letter to the ROTS novelization.

As Obi-Wan turned to leave, Anakin’s heart ached, though he didn’t know what for. They had parted many times, always sure, somehow, that they would meet again.

He laughed to himself. Who were they to be sure of anything now?

There was one thing he was sure of, and that was that there was no way in the galaxy he was going to tell the Council about his visions. They didn’t trust him, and would surely trust him even less if they knew in what way Palpatine wanted him. He would need undeniable proof before going to them.

Proof that would only come from talking to him again. From playing the part of his friend, maybe even leaning into the role of prospective Sith apprentice.

Well, he had done worse in the name of other missions.

\---

“You still haven’t told me what this has to do with Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, doing his best not to let his annoyance show.

“Ah, that.” Palpatine’s uneasy smile went slack. “Well, that is the difficult part. The  _ disturbing _ part. It seems that Master Kenobi has been in contact with a certain Senator who is known to be among the leaders of this cabal. Apparently, very  _ close _ contact. The rumor is that he was seen leaving this Senator’s residence this very morning, at an… unseemly hour.”

Anakin blinked in confusion. “What?” He shook his head. “How can that be? He was with  _ me _ this morning.”

Palpatine blinked twice, a slight furrow in his brow.  _ Kriff, what did I say? It’s not what it sounds like, I swear. Not that I would mind if it were, but that’s not the point! _

“Ah,” said Palpatine. “Well, Senate gossip is rarely accurate. But if Master Kenobi should happen to be meeting in secret with a  _ certain female Senator you know quite well _ , it hardly looks favorably on either of them.”

Anakin laughed uncomfortably, fighting the urge to clarify that all three of them had, in fact, been together that morning. “I know-”

“I need you to find the truth,” Palpatine quickly said. “To set my mind at rest.”

Finally. An excuse to leave. For all the air conditioning in Palpatine’s office, Anakin was starting to feel uncomfortably hot.

“I know who my friends are,” he muttered under his breath as he left.

\---

Only when he got back to Padmé’s apartment could he breathe again. “I kriffed up,” he groaned, sinking face down over the armrest of the couch.

The couch that still permeated their three Force signatures from earlier, even with the added noise of others.

Padmé sat beside him and brushed a hand against his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Anakin buried his face in a couch cushion. “I made Palpatine think I was sleeping with Obi-Wan.” His face burned hot. After that whole fiasco with Clovis, the last thing he needed was any more perceived infidelity.

Padmé laughed gently. “What’s wrong with him thinking that?” Her grip on his shoulder tightened. “You’re not actually sleeping with him, are you?”

“No!” Anakin said quickly. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Not…” He trailed off, unsure.

“Not… without me? Without my approval?”

Unable to find words or even look up, Anakin nodded.

“I don’t blame you,” she said, no doubt flashing a mischievous smile. “Months at a time by his side in the heat of war? I’m surprised you haven’t pounced on him already.”

“I’m your husband!” Anakin shot back. “I made a vow to be faithful-”

“I know,” said Padmé. “And I’m glad for your faithfulness. But I’ve seen the way you look at Obi-Wan, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“Hold on…” Anakin shuffled awkwardly into a seated position on the couch. “The way he looks at me? What do you mean?”

“He loves you,” Padmé said. “And not just as a friend or fellow Jedi.” She met his eyes, undeniably earnest. “You love him too, don’t you?”

Anakin had no response.

“When he gets back,” Padmé said slyly, “if you want to…  _ avoid a public scene _ with him, be my guest.”

\---

Obi-Wan slid down the side of the dragonmount in the dark hallway. He patted the mount’s head as he stealthily stepped forward, his senses focused on the meeting area below where the Separatist Council was gathered along with various bodyguards and battle droids.

“Be thankful, Viceroy,” he heard Grievous say, “you have not found yourself in my grip.”

Obi-Wan bit back a laugh, trying to imagine what Anakin would say if he heard that. Probably some quip about Grievous’s grip on his lightsabers.

The Separatist leaders got up to leave accompanied by their bodyguards. The bulk of the battle droids, however, remained with Grievous.

It dawned on Obi-Wan then that he would very likely die there. But that didn’t make sense, he thought. Anakin wasn’t there. He’d always expected, for no discernible reason, that when his time came, Anakin would be by his side.

Thinking of Anakin caused his chest to tighten with worry. Before tracking Grievous, he had sent R4-G9 with the message that he had made contact. What would Sidious do when he heard that the war was almost over?

_ Anakin can handle it, _ he reminded himself.  _ He knows what he’s getting into. _

Still, as he jumped down to greet his enemy, a small part of his mind was already back on Coruscant.

\---

In the holocomm center of Jedi Command, Anakin watched as a life-sized holoscan of Commander Cody flickered into being, right between those of Ki-Adi-Mundi and Aayla Secura.

“Master Windu, may I interrupt?” said Cody. “General Kenobi has made contact with General Grievous. We have begun our attack.”

“Thank you, Commander.” The holoscan of Cody disappeared. Mace turned to his right. “Anakin, deliver this report to the Chancellor. His reaction will give us a clue to his intentions.”

That was certainly one way to phrase it. “Yes, Master,” he said, ducking out of the room. And sliding a recording device under the buckle of his glove. He would be getting much more than a clue to Palpatine’s intentions.

He would be getting undeniable evidence. All he had to do was turn on the device at the right moment.

\---

Mace Windu stared momentarily through the doorway through which Skywalker had left before addressing the two other Masters present. “I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi,” he said. “The Dark Side of the Force surrounds the Chancellor.”

Ki-Adi-Mundi nodded in agreement. “If he does not give up his emergency powers after the destruction of Grievous, then he should be removed from office.”

Mace agreed, but with reservation. Palpatine may be a tyrant, but he was popular. Too popular. “The Jedi Council would have to take control of the Senate in order to secure a peaceful transition.”

The clouded future in his head grew even more grim with those words. He looked to Master Yoda.

“To a dark place this line of thought will carry us,” said the aged Master, echoing Mace’s thoughts. “Hmm… great care we must take.”

\---

[The following is a transcript of an audio recording presented before the Jedi Council on the day following the end of the Clone Wars; identities of all speakers verified and confirmed by voiceprint analysis.]

ANAKIN: I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but - but as much as I want those things - as much as I care for you, sir - I can’t. I just can’t. Because there’s only one thing I  _ really _ want, right now. Everything else will just have to wait.

PALPATINE: I know what you truly want. I have only been waiting for you to admit it to yourself. Listen to me:  _ I can help you save her. _

ANAKIN: You - how can  _ you _ help?

PALPATINE: Do you remember the myth I told you of,  _ The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? _

ANAKIN: Yes. Yes, I remember.

PALPATINE: Anakin, it’s no mere myth. Darth Plagueis was real.

ANAKIN:  _ Real…? _

PALPATINE: Darth Plagueis was my Master. He taught me the key to his power before I killed him.

[A sound that has been identified by frequency resonances to be the ignition of a lightsaber.]

ANAKIN:  _ You’re _ the Sith Lord!

PALPATINE: I know what’s been troubling you. Listen to me. Don’t continue to be a pawn of the Jedi Council! Ever since I’ve known you, you have been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. A life of significance. Of  _ conscience. _ Are you going to kill me?

ANAKIN: I would certainly  _ like _ to.

PALPATINE: I know you would. I can feel your anger… it gives you focus. Makes you stronger.

[Recording ends.]


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reinforcements arrive.

Only minutes after hearing the confirmation from Kenobi that Grievous was dead, Mace Windu heard the beeping that signaled an urgent incoming transmission. A recording, he noticed. He considered waiting until he had finished his conversation with Yoda, but the urgent nature of the transmission caused him to reconsider.

“Forget not the existence of Sidious,” Yoda was saying via holocomm when Mace pressed play. They both listened in silence.

_ Darth Plagueis was my Master. _

Mace didn’t hear the words. Their true meaning was too large for his mind to gather at once.

You’re _ the Sith Lord! _

It had all been for nothing. All of the fighting, all of the suffering in the Republic’s name, it had all been in service of a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Crushed, Mace looked to Yoda.

The ancient Master’s expression was lined heavily with regret. “Time it is,” was all he could say.

\---

The part Anakin found himself playing was an astonishingly easy one. His shock wasn’t entirely fabricated - he might have known that Palpatine was a Sith, but for him to admit as much so boldly took Anakin by surprise.

All he had to do now was stall. Logically, if he hadn’t known in advance that Palpatine had been lying since the day they’d met, he might be angry, but stunned worked better for stalling. So stunned it was until reinforcements arrived.

And stunned he appeared, collapsing in a chair near the door of Palpatine’s office and drinking as if numbly from the glass he was offered as Palpatine kept talking.

“If only you could know how I have longed to tell you, Anakin. All these years - since the very day we met, my boy. I have watched you, waiting as you grew in strength and wisdom, biding my time until now, today…”

Anakin stopped paying attention.  _ My boy. _ Only one other person had ever called him that. How coincidental could it be that the Sith Lord watching him for all these years was calling him the same thing that Watto had?

“...and your true place in the history of the galaxy.”

“The chosen one,” Anakin muttered.

“Exactly, my boy.  _ Exactly. _ You  _ are _ the chosen one.” Palpatine leaned closer, making Anakin’s skin crawl. “Chosen by  _ me. _ ”

As Palpatine continued his monologue, Anakin reached out into the Force. It was murky around here, but somewhere outside, a gunship was landing, four figures hurriedly disembarking.

“I - I’ll turn you over to the Jedi Council,” Anakin whispered, forcing as much uncertainty as he could into his words. “They’ll know what to do-”

And the monologue continued. Really, it would have been amusing if Palpatine hadn’t been standing so close to where Anakin now sat.

“That is what you must ask yourself, my boy,” he was saying, leaning ever so slightly on the hand he had placed on Anakin’s shoulder. “Whether your loyalty is to the Jedi, or to the Republic.”

Anakin glared at him. “It’s not  _ like _ that-”

Palpatine stepped back, lifting his shoulders. “Perhaps not. Perhaps it’s simply a question of whether you love Obi-Wan Kenobi more than you love your wife.”

Oh, he did  _ not _ just go there.

\---

From the back of his dragonmount, Obi-Wan felt a faint tremor in the Force. Somewhere, far away, Anakin was in trouble. Another reminder to finish this business and get back as soon as possible.

Distantly, he wondered how Ahsoka’s mission was going. He and Anakin had seen her briefly above Mandalore before rescuing the Chancellor. While they had left, she had stayed to confront Maul.

_ “Darth Sidious is the Sith Lord who orchestrated the Clone Wars and played both sides of it from the beginning,” _ he had told her in transmission earlier that day.  _ “I first learned the name from Count Dooku, though any chance of learning more about Sidious from Dooku has been lost. With Dooku gone, we’ve lost a vital link to understanding the mystery of Darth Sidious. Anakin has a lead as to who he might be, but if you can capture Maul, he may be able to provide the missing pieces to this puzzle.” _

Obi-Wan had the feeling that those missing pieces had just been provided.

He needed to get back to Coruscant. Much as he hated the thought of abandoning his men, he had already eliminated Grievous. Anakin needed him more.

It would be nice to recover his lightsaber first, though.

\---

Anakin was actually stunned now.

“What do you know?” he spat, rising to his feet.

“I know more than you think,” said Palpatine, stepping closer to him. “I can feel the conflict within you, the  _ passion,  _ when I mention your former Master. But tell me, is it loyalty that keeps you in the Jedi Order as a pawn of the Council? Can it truly be loyalty, when it also keeps you returning to your wife’s bed at every chance, even as you stare after Kenobi when he leaves?”

Anakin had no answer.

“No.” Palpatine pushed Anakin back into his chair. “Not loyalty. Duty, perhaps, but loyalty? Never.” His hands remained on Anakin’s shoulders. “It is  _ duty _ keeping you on the path of the Jedi.” One of his thumbs brushed the collar of Anakin’s robes. “Keeping you from me.”

Anakin jerked away instinctively from the touch, trying to stand up and reach for his lightsaber at the same time, but standing only brought them closer together. A hand grasped his neck and he found himself unable to move.

“My duty is to the Republic,” he choked out, spitting.

“Is it not your duty to defend democracy?” Palpatine growled, his grip tightening. “To carry out the will of a democratically elected leader?”

Focusing, Anakin willed his hands to move. He grabbed the hand at his neck with both hands and dug the fingernails of his left hand into the skin, using his right hand to pry the fingers away.

“You misunderstand my loyalty,” he hissed. “I love Padmé, and I love Obi-Wan more than I  _ ever _ respected you.”

Palpatine hesitated. For a moment, Anakin was afraid of what he might do. But before he could do anything, four Jedi Masters entered the office, Mace Windu leading the group.

“In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic,” Windu declared as all four ignited their lightsabers, “you are under arrest, Chancellor.”

\---

To fight the Jedi Masters, Palpatine had let Anakin go.

That was his mistake.

Three years ago, on Geonosis, Dooku had hit him with Force lightning before dueling Obi-Wan, clearly not expecting him to recover. Now, as Anakin ducked behind the chair to regain his breath, he heard similar sounds of scuffle.

He glanced out from behind the chair. Saesee Tiin’s severed head rolled to a stop beside the still body of Agen Kolar. Kit Fisto sat nearby, nursing a shoulder wound. If he had gotten away with playing dead…

Purple and red lights flickered on the wall. Mace Windu was keeping Palpatine busy.

\---

Submerged in Vaapad, Mace could feel the end of the battle approaching, both of them out on the window ledge. The scarlet blade knocked from the grip of the Sith shadow he faced plummeted out the shattered window.

Now the shadow was Palpatine, aged and exhausted, backed up against the window ledge before the point of Mace’s amethyst blade. “You are under arrest, my lord.”

And here was Anakin now, the chosen one, the shatterpoint upon which this whole encounter hinged, and the fate of the Republic along with it.

And he was  _ terrified _ .

“Anakin!” Palpatine gasped from the floor. “I told you it would come to this! I was right! The Jedi are taking over!”

“The oppression of the Sith will never return,” said Mace. “You have lost.”

Palpatine glanced up at Anakin before turning to glare at Mace. “No,” he growled, “no, no…  _ you _ will die!”

As he lifted his lightsaber to block the oncoming burst of lightning, Mace could feel Anakin cringing away at the sight.

\---

Mace and Palpatine were shouting to him now, each urging him over the crackling of the Force lightning to take their side.

Both of Palpatine’s hands were pointed at Mace as he continually poured out lightning. The lightning arced backward from Mace’s blade, forcing Palpatine to squint as his face grew disfigured.

If Dooku had done anything like this, he would have died a lot sooner.

Swallowing his fear, Anakin sucked in a raspy breath before taking out his lightsaber. The sapphire blade met Palpatine’s wrist. Then his other wrist. And before the blade completed its arc, it sliced through the rapidly deteriorating skin and bone of his neck.

The lightning storm ceased in an instant, replaced by a rushing sound in Anakin’s ears. He deactivated his lightsaber and took a brief appreciative look at the shriveled body before him.

Then he collapsed on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eat dirt, Sidious!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out killing the leader of government, even if he is a Sith Lord, has some legal consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might notice I updated the character tags. That's for this chapter. I started writing this fic during my pre-season 7 rewatch of TCW, but didn't finish writing until I watched the finale, so I could account for some of the other changes that would happen.  
> I know you're all anxious for the ending, so I won't draw it out to next Monday. I'll post this chapter now and Chapter 13 tonight. That's two updates in 6 hours, practically a double update.

The capital city was still dark, storm clouds having only just parted when Obi-Wan’s starfighter touched down in the Temple shipyard.

He was tearing across the shipyard before the engines fully cooled, frantically searching in the Force. The infirmary. Anakin’s Force signature was a faint whisper, but there was no mistaking where it was coming from.

Someone called his name in the hallway, but he brushed past. Anakin had been injured. He needed to see, needed to know…

He finally reached the infirmary and brushed past several agitated healers to find him.

Anakin was unconscious, a thick brace around his neck and a respirator hooked up to his nose and mouth. Obi-Wan listened anxiously to the sigh of the respirator as he watched the rise and fall of Anakin’s chest. He was alive. Injured, but alive.

“What happened?” he asked the healer on duty.

“Partially crushed airway,” said the healer, not looking up. “He was likely Force choked, but the organic damage is being repaired.”

Force choked… “What was he doing?”

“Dealing with a Sith Lord, I suppose. Master Windu didn’t say. But he did say that the Sith controlling the Republic has finally been destroyed.”

So Anakin’s mission had been a success. Obi-Wan supposed that should be a comfort, and he was glad, at least, that Palpatine would never have the hold on Anakin he had desired. But how could he take comfort in success when Anakin struggled to breathe?

He knelt beside the bed and cradled Anakin’s hand between both of his until the healers kicked him out.

\---

Anakin woke up hours later and took a few tentative breaths. The brace and respirator had been removed. Satisfied that his breath no longer rasped in his ears, he asked one of the healers, “Is Obi-Wan back yet?”

“Master Kenobi came to see you,” she said. “I’ve let him know you’re awake. He is waiting outside.”

Before she had finished the sentence, Anakin shot to his feet. Stumbling momentarily for having gotten up too fast, he rushed out of the infirmary, found Obi-Wan, and flung his arms around him.

Taking him by surprise, Obi-Wan pulled him close. “Oh, Anakin,” he whispered, “I couldn’t be more glad to see you alive. I was afraid I would never get the chance to tell you…”

Anakin laughed, breathing in the soot and blaster fire scent of Obi-Wan’s hair. “You worry too much, old man. It takes a lot more than a Sith Lord to bring me down.” He pulled back from the hug just enough to meet Obi-Wan’s eyes. “What… did you want to tell me?”

“I… you mean a great deal to me,” he said, his cheeks flushing pink. “I have said before that should you choose to leave the Order, I would support your decision. And I still mean that. But try as I might, I cannot envision a future without you.”

Anakin blinked. Was Obi-Wan saying… “Do you really mean that?” he ventured nervously.

Obi-Wan nodded. “If you should say the word, I will do whatever it takes to remain at your side. Even leave the Jedi Order.”

Anakin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Padmé was right, he realized - Obi-Wan did love him, not as a friend or fellow Jedi, but in a boundless, unabashed manner that most definitely violated the Jedi Code.

The same way, he had also come to realize, that he loved Obi-Wan as well.

He leaned forward.

“Anakin Skywalker,” intoned a voice behind him, making him jump. He whirled around to find himself face to face with several Coruscant Guard troopers flanked by Temple guards. “You are under arrest for treason against the Republic.”

\---

He supposed he should have expected this. Palpatine may have been a Sith Lord, but he had still been the Republic’s leader.

It was a relief to learn that Padmé would be representing him in court. Benefits of not being legally married, he supposed - he couldn’t imagine it would be allowed if they were. He was glad, at least, to be able to hold his wife’s hand as they worked on his defense.

“Admiral Tarkin will be the prosecuting attorney, I’m afraid,” she whispered.

“Great.” Anakin remembered all too well what had happened during Ahsoka’s trial all those months ago. “Do you have any security recordings?”

Padmé nodded, pulling out a small holoprojector. “This one shows him attacking Master Windu. I also got some of your medical files from Obi-Wan. If I say you were both attacked, I can make the argument that you were acting in defense.”

Obi-Wan was looking out for him. He was helping Padmé put together a defense. There would never need to be any jealousy between the three of them - they were a team, all three of them, and no Sith Lords or decaying democracies would ever pull them apart.

\---

“The members of the court have reached a decision.”

Or maybe a decaying democracy would pull them apart after all. Tarkin and Padmé had argued back and forth for what seemed like hours. Padmé’s argument was a million times more convincing, at least in Anakin’s opinion, but he had the feeling that those in the court deciding his fate disagreed.

_ He controls the Senate and the courts, _ he faintly remembered Mace Windu yelling.  _ He’s too dangerous to be kept alive. _

The Speaker of the Senate, Mas Amedda, stood in Palpatine’s place. He briefly consulted the device in his hands. “Anakin Skywalker,” his voice boomed. “By an overwhelming count of-”

“Lord Speaker!” yelled a familiar voice from the entrance behind him.

Running into the courtroom, face set in determination, was Ahsoka, flanked by a small contingent of clone troopers wearing helmets with her face painted on them. At the front of the group was Commander Rex. The clones bringing up the rear carried with them a mobile prison cell through which the horned outline of a black and red face was just barely visible through a small window.

Anakin gasped under his breath. “Ahsoka?”

“I hope you have a reason for your intrusion, Lady Tano,” said the Chagrian.

“I am here with evidence,” Ahsoka declared, motioning to the cell behind her, which the clones were busy opening. “An eyewitness account from someone who worked with Palpatine personally. Or should I say, Darth Sidious?” The cell was now open, allowing the courtroom a full view of the man restrained inside. “This is Sidious’s former apprentice, Darth Maul.”

So this was the man who had made himself Obi-Wan’s nemesis, the Sith who would not die. He should consider himself lucky to be all the way over there in that cell while Anakin stood unarmed on the defendant’s platform. It was obvious, however, by the way he now glared at Ahsoka that he considered himself far from lucky.

“Tell them the truth,” she said, adding something in an undertone.

Maul glanced upward with a resigned expression. Bracingly, he cleared his throat. “Members of the court,” he began in a somewhat hoarse voice, “the man who stands before you is guilty of little other than self-defense. He is accused of treason, but the act for which he stands accused was one which saved the Republic from its destruction at the hands of my Master.” He paused for effect. “Yes,” he said, “the man you called ‘Chancellor’ was my Master, Darth Sidious. I do not know how far his plans went, but had the Clone War ended on his terms, the Republic, and the Jedi… would be destroyed.”

“I think I know what he was planning,” said Rex. Ahsoka turned her head in astonishment. “Some months ago, one of my brothers discovered that all of us - every clone in the army - all of us were implanted with chips that could override our free will, even make us kill the Jedi we had sworn to serve under. The Chancellor-” He shook his head. “ _ Darth Sidious _ told him that the chips were his idea.”

An uneasy murmur filled the room.

Maul gaped in faint wonder. “Then my Master’s plans went deeper than I anticipated,” he whispered. “I knew only that Skywalker was the key to his destruction, long groomed for his role as my Master’s new apprentice… yet, by killing him, Skywalker has foiled his plan.” Maul smiled. “My Master told me once of the Jedi prophecy of the chosen one. It was why he did not wish for Skywalker to be a Jedi. He had designs on the boy from a young age…” He broke off, yellow eyes shining with emotion. “The chosen one was to replace me, but instead, he has avenged me.”

The room filled with scandalized muttering. “Order!” shouted Amedda. “We must have order!” But even as the muttering gradually quieted, various jurors typed frantically on their datapads. Amedda’s device began to light up with notifications.

After a moment, one of the jurors rose to his feet. “The court has reached a new decision.”

Barely concealing a sigh, Amedda looked down at his screen. “Very well,” he said. “In light of this new evidence, the late Chancellor Palpatine will be charged posthumously with collusion and abuse of power.” The audience erupted with reactions ranging from cheers to boos to scandalized gasping. “Order!” Amedda shouted. Once the room had quieted, he continued. “Anakin Skywalker. With the new evidence provided by these additional witnesses, the court has determined that you acted only in self defense and with no treasonous intent. You are therefore cleared of all charges.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future plans are finalized. They finally catch up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season 7 wish fulfillment basically.

The defendant’s platform had barely made contact with the walkway when Anakin hurriedly stepped off of it and rushed forward, catching Ahsoka with a surprised  _ oof _ as she launched herself into his arms.

“Skyguy, am I glad to see you,” she said, her face pressed against his shoulder. “I wanted to talk to you before, but nobody would let me in.” She let out a short laugh. “I guess I know what it was like for you now.”

Anakin smiled. “It’s good to see you, Snips.” There were a thousand other things he wanted to say, but a hug would do for now.

Over Ahsoka’s shoulder, he noticed Padmé and Obi-Wan approaching. He let go of her and bounded toward them, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders and planting kisses on both of their cheeks.

Obi-Wan flushed visibly. “Anakin, you- really?”

Anakin glanced at Padmé, who smiled at him in encouragement. “I love you,” he let himself say. “I wanted to tell you before I was arrested, but I never got the chance until now.”

Obi-Wan blinked. “I never expected...” He turned to Padmé. “And you’re okay with this?”

“More than okay with it,” she said, laughing. “I would like for you to join us. That is, if…” She glanced at Anakin.

“I was planning to leave the Jedi once the war was over,” he said. “Obi-Wan, come home with me.”

Obi-Wan smiled then, his gaze warming Anakin from the inside out. “I will.” Anakin leaned forward to capture his lips in a kiss, but Obi-Wan held a finger over his lips, stopping him. “Not yet. We have to meet with the Council first.”

Anakin pouted.

“I’ll come with you,” said Ahsoka from behind him. “I have some things to talk about with the Council myself.”

“It sounds like we all have some catching up to do,” said Padmé. “But that will have to happen later. I have an emergency election to attend.” Looking ever so slightly miffed, she extricated herself from the group hug. “Good luck with your meeting and let me know what happens. Love you.”

Once Padmé had left the room, Ahsoka gave Anakin and Obi-Wan a wide grin. “All three of you, huh? We have a lot to catch up on.”

\---

“Change, things must, for the Jedi,” Yoda said, perched in his Council seat. “Too blind we were to the Dark Lord who was the Chancellor. Against our principles, fought this war we have, and the Dark Lord’s own weapon it was…”

Anakin tapped his foot silently. From the seat beside him, Obi-Wan gave him a look.  _ Patience, _ it said. But his lips curved upward in a fond smile.

Mace Windu nodded assent. “I agree. This cannot happen again. We were barely able to stop Darth Sidious before his plans could be realized, and for that, we have Skywalker to thank.”

Anakin snapped to attention. Behind him, he could sense Ahsoka’s interest as well. Master Windu was acknowledging him?

“It was you who gained the Chancellor’s trust and learned of his intentions,” Windu was saying, “and even after Masters Tiin and Kolar fell in our confrontation, you resisted the temptation of the Dark Side and helped me to defeat him. It was a great trial, but through it, you have shown the strength and resilience of a Jedi Master.”

Yoda gave Anakin one of his rare looks of approval. “Judged you too quickly I have,” he said. “Honored, we would be, if a full position on the Council you would accept.”

Anakin didn’t have to turn in his seat to feel Ahsoka’s eyes on him. He cleared his throat. “Thank you, Masters, but obliged as I am to accept your praise…” Uncertain, he glanced at Obi-Wan, finding in his eyes the resolve that had carried them through countless battles. “I have chosen to resign from the Jedi Order.” He addressed his next words to Yoda. “Since I was a child, I had dreamed of being a Jedi and bringing justice to the galaxy, but the day I arrived here - nine years old, freed only the day before from slavery - you said that I was too old, too afraid, too attached to my mother. Only through Obi-Wan’s determination did I become a Jedi at all. But even despite his efforts, the Order was never the home and family to me that it should have been.

“Palpatine -  _ Sidious _ picked up on that,” he continued, giving a full-body shudder. “He made every effort to insert himself into my life. He made himself the father I never had. I never questioned it, and how could I?” Various Masters nodded in agreement. “But I see now that his intent had always been to pull me to the Dark Side, to pull me away from not only the Jedi, but the people I love. And now that the Sith have been dealt with…” He gave Obi-Wan a small smile. “I intend to make those people a priority.”

Obi-Wan returned his smile. “I am resigning as well,” he said. “The Jedi I was raised to be was a protector of the peace, but in fighting this war, I have compromised my morals too much to trust that things will return to normal - and even so, what kind of a ‘normal’ would that be if a Sith Lord could operate right under our noses?” He faced Yoda as well. “What kind of ‘normal’ would have us bending over backwards, even risking the safety of our young charges, to appease a politician? Not one I wanted to be part of then, and not one I want to be part of now.”

“Hmm,” Yoda grumbled. “So certain are you that change nothing will?”

“That will be for you to decide,” said Obi-Wan. “When Anakin was knighted, you told me to sever my bond with him. But in the end, it was that very bond that allowed him to see through Sidious’s manipulation. I cannot even begin to imagine what would have happened if he had not come to me for help. Sidious targeted our relationship, and for good reason - we are a team, and always will be, Jedi or not.”

Anakin’s heart swelled. You did not argue with Master Yoda, this was learned from childhood, but here was Obi-Wan, defending him - defending their bond - from the Grandmaster’s judgment. He could just...

“If you want the Order to change,” said Ahsoka behind him, “it sounds like you might need help.”

“Padawan Tano,” Yoda acknowledged her. “A suggestion, have you?”

“Yes.” She stepped forward, standing in the middle of the room as was typical for a Council address. “While I was on Mandalore, I was an ‘advisor’ for a division under Rex’s command. I propose that the Jedi do something similar - appoint advisors, who would live among civilians and advise the Council on how better to help people. That way, we would have a better idea of what people need and help them directly without taking all of our direction from the Senate or the Chancellor’s office, which would avoid the corruption that fueled the war.”

Several Masters hummed approval, including Plo Koon. “That would indeed solve many things,” he said. “Is this a position you would accept?”

Ahsoka smiled, glancing at Anakin and Obi-Wan. “I would be honored to accept a position as Jedi advisor.”

\---

“A toast,” said Obi-Wan that evening, accepting a glass of some blue liquid from C-3PO. “To the end of the Clone War!”

Padmé lifted the glass of juice she had been sipping from, avoiding alcohol due to her pregnancy. “To Chancellor Organa, and peace treaties with the Separatists.”

“To Ahsoka’s new job as advisor to the Council,” said Anakin, smiling at the others as he lifted his glass of mixed drink.

Ahsoka grinned back at him. “To that creepy old dingbat getting exactly what he deserves.” She clinked her glass against the other three, who grinned appreciatively as they drank.

Anakin took a hearty swig before lowering his glass onto the caf table. The alcohol sent a pleasant burn through his upper body. “Kriff that shriveled ballsack!” he said. “I should have let the Zillo Beast eat him.”

Ahsoka burst into peals of laughter.

“It should have been him on Naboo instead of the Zabrak,” said Padmé, looking at Obi-Wan. “Then you would have killed him before he laid an eye on Anakin.”

“And I might have, if I’d known in what way he had wanted him.” Obi-Wan laughed bitterly. “Anakin, I am so sorry. I should have protected you better.”

“Don’t,” said Anakin. “It wasn’t your fault. However…” A mischievous smile crept onto his face. “I can think of a few ways you could make it up to me now.”

Ahsoka stood up from the couch. “I think it’s time for me to leave,” she said pointedly. “But I promise to keep in touch. Don’t worry about rides, I can catch an air taxi.” She waved goodbye as she left, still giggling.

Once the door slammed shut, Obi-Wan turned to face Anakin. “What ways did you have in mind?”

Anakin scooted closer to him on the couch in answer, practically sitting on his lap. Bending forward slightly, he finally, finally met Obi-Wan’s lips in a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they all lived happily ever after... eventually. There was a rough political transition and between the changes to the Republic's government and how the Jedi operated, better checks and balances were put in place.  
> The Jedi would eventually relax the age restrictions and allow older Force-sensitives to enter if they so chose. Appropriate measures would be taken to ensure that these older members felt at home, or if they changed their minds, to know that they had other options.  
> Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé stayed on Coruscant for some time to assist in the political transition, then retired to Naboo, where the twins were born. They remained in contact with their friends, many of whom became honorary aunts and uncles to Luke and Leia.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at makegrievousameme980arr on tumblr


End file.
